Harry Potter, the Apprentice
by The Last Herald
Summary: A response to DZ2's Beast beneath the Skin challenge. Instead of Harry Potter being left with his muggle relatives, Albus Dumbledore decided that he had to be pro-active. As a result, Harry Potter is raised by one of the most powerful wizards of the 20th century. Eventual Super Harry, although that won't be for a while. Shapeshifter Harry. Metamorphmagus Harry. Soul bonds, HP/Hr.
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter, the Apprentice

Summary: A response to DZ2's Beast beneath the Skin challenge. Instead of Harry Potter being left with his muggle relatives, Albus Dumbledore decided that he had to be pro-active. As a result, Harry Potter is raised by one of the most powerful wizards of the 20th century. Eventual Super Harry, although that won't be for a while. Shapeshifter Harry. Metamorphmagus Harry. Soul bonds, HP/HR for the moment. A crossover with the Dead Eye series by Jim Bernheimer.

Challenge info:

Plot: James Potter's Animagus form was a stag, but surely that wasn't enough to make him a leader, was it? No, because there was another secret he had, one that Harry has inherited.

Rules: All affinities are welcome

Harry MUST is a Shifter/Shapeshifter/Multi-Animagus/Skinwalker or whatever you call them (OC names are also welcome)

When the story starts and how Harry discovers this power is up to you

One of his forms MUST be a stag as an 'inheritance' from his Father

From time to time, Harry can 'invoke' his animals to enhance his senses/strength etc.

As a Shifter, Harry can also speak ALL animal languages even if he can't become said animal

The centaurs and/or the unicorns must be allies/friends of Harry's

At least ONE other member of the HPverse MUST be a Shifter as well and offer to help train and/or work with Harry

All pairings are welcome

Guidelines: Crossovers

Harry's power is also tied to the Elemental Forces

Even in his animal forms, Harry leads a pack/horde/swarm etc. of animals

Dark-Lord Harry

Harry becomes the creatures/acquires their forms by eating something of theirs

Harry can become magical creatures as well as non-magical and use their powers too (e.g. Nundu, Werewolf, Unicorn, Centaur)

Slash

Harry acquires a familiar

Bonds

Forbidden: 'Normal' Harry

Harry having just one Animagus form

Others managing to turn Harry away from his powers

Harry being talked out of using/keeping his power because of 'bias' against others

Harry as the only one

Other than that, it's up to you...

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I also do not own the fantastic Dead Eye series, which belongs to Jim Bernheimer.

Chapter 1

When Albus Dumbledore arrived on Privet Drive with a barely audible pop, little did he know that the decisions that he would make in the next few minutes would change the future for the better. He glanced around, and noticed a cat sitting on a garden wall staring at him.

"Hello Minerva." the man said softly.

The cat nodded at him before shifting into the form of a rather stern looking woman.

"Albus, you can't leave the boy here… You just can't!" she began as soon as her transformation was complete.

Albus sighed heavily, and interrupted her.

"It's the best place for him, Minerva. I know that it might not be under the most ideal of circumstances…" he was interrupted by Minerva once again.

"Never have I seen two worse people… Oh, why don't I just show you?" she asked briskly.

Albus felt a slight pressure, almost like a knock on his Occlumency barriers. He opened them just a crack, and his mind was flooded with images.

The first thing that he saw was a rather large man launching a rock at Minerva's Animagus form.

Minerva fast forwarded the memory, and the next thing that Albus saw shocked him.

A rather large young boy was repeatedly kicking his rather harried looking mother, as she dragged him into the house. His cries for sweets echoed after the two as the door slammed.

"Albus. I've been sitting here all day, and Harry's not going here. I'll even resign from Hogwarts and take him if I have to."

Minerva was cut off as Albus suddenly burst into tears.

The woman was shocked, but quickly composed herself. She hadn't seen Albus this emotional for many, many years.

"I hoped that Petunia had changed, but I see that she has not. My thought to bring Harry here was a mistake… A mistake that I'll be sure to not let go any further." He said before composing himself.

"Don't worry about it Minerva, I must take Harry myself, any consequences be dammed." Albus said as he wiped at his red-rimmed eyes.

Minerva let out a sigh before replying.

"Thank you Albus, I will help you as well, as you say consequences be dammed."

"Thank you Minerva, I only hope that the two of us together can do half as good a job as pour Lily and James could have." Albus said.

He then pulled out a strange-looking pocket watch with twelve hands and tiny planets racing around the outside.

"Hagrid's late." He said.

"Ah Albus, as dependable as Hagrid is, he's never been the most punctual. You know that as well as I do." Said Minerva.

"Ah… I must be growing complaisant in my old age." Albus said suddenly before pulling out something that looked like a silver cigarette lighter. He clicked it, and the streetlamps were abruptly extinguished.

Several minutes later, the two of them heard the roar of a motorbike. Minerva looked up and down the street, but Albus just smiled knowingly.

Soon, a flying motorbike landed in the middle of the street with Hagrid, the groundskeeper of Hogwarts astride it. He was clutching a small bundle.

"Good evening Hagrid," Albus said.

"Thank you for coming all this way, but there has been… a slight change of plan. I shall take the boy, and raise him as I hope Lily and James would."

"That's alright headmaster… I was perfectly happy to make the journey." The rather large man said before blowing his nose with a sound that resembled a foghorn.

"Alright," Albus said.

"Minerva, would you feel up to Apparating Hagrid back to Hogwarts?"

"Of course Albus." She said before pulling out her wand and waving it at the motorbike which shrunk to the size of a toy which she pocketed.

Hagrid then handed the bundle that was Harry James Potter, the Boy Who Lived to Albus before taking Minerva's outstretched arm. The two of them then vanished with a loud crack which woke up several residents of Privet Drive. The Dursleys however slept on.

Albus smiled down at Harry who was asleep in his arms.

"Now Harry, I know that you can't hear me… I'm not the greatest with raising children, but I'll do my best." He said before clicking his silver device.

The light sprung back to the streetlamps, and Albus summoned his familiar Fawkes.

"Hello my friend," he said giving the red and gold phoenix a smile.

"Would you please get myself and my young charge back to my office?" he asked.

The bird let out a happy trill before they disappeared in a column of flame.

The next few years passed in a blur for Harry Potter. Living in the mystical and magical castle of Hogwarts, which for most of the year was a school provided no end of entertainment not to mention learning for the young boy. Word quickly spread that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived was residing at Hogwarts, but always the press was turned away by Albus.

As Harry grew older, he began to have more and more interest in learning. Many a time he could be seen standing in one of the teacher's lessons, and most of them were tolerant if not happy for him to watch them teach. Naturally, Harry did not have a wand or any other materials yet, but he was still very interested in what the students were learning.

The one teacher who didn't like Harry was the potion's professor, Severus Snape. He might not have been rude in any way to Harry, but he got the distinct impression that he was not welcome in the man's classroom.

Besides the staff, the ghosts that resided in the magical school also had an interest in the boy who never left. Many times Harry could be seen talking in hushed tones with one of them, particularly the Ravenclaw ghost, Helena Ravenclaw.

Apart from Albus and Minerva, she was the person in the castle who he was closest with by far.

When Harry was ten, something extraordinary happened. He had been sitting in a corner of the place that Helena called the Come and Go room, while she was explaining how people used to be able to separate their spirits from their bodies, and even in some extreme circumstances to take over the physical shells of the weak-willed. Harry then interrupted her.

"Hel, would you like to borrow my body? You're always saying how you would like to be able to do things that only the living can."

"Oh… That's sweet, but I wouldn't dream of inflicting such pain on your spirit." She said while smiling at him.

Helena was the youngest of the ghosts, having been killed by some strange foreign magical disease while only thirteen.

That was when Harry had an idea.

"But what if I separate my spirit from my body? You explained how it used to be done, and I think I understand..." he trailed off as he concentrated.

He then used his magic to reach inside of himself with his left hand and pulled.

"Fuck that hurts!" he swore as he slowly pulled what looked like a ghost image of himself out of his body.

"No!" Helena screamed, but it was too late.

"Told you I could do it." Harry said before reaching out his hand.

Instead of passing through her pale ghostly form as he had expected, Harry contacted her skin.

"I can touch you now?" he said in shock.

That was when Harry's body began to move.

What the hell? Harry thought to himself.

"Hel… That's not me moving my body." He said his voice shaking slightly.

"Fuck it." She swore.

"I'm going in there to see what's going on." She said before her ghostly image seemed to move inside of Harry's body.

"Holy fuck!" she swore.

"There's someone else in here… They're… He's fighting me." She said.

Harry let out a scream as his body opened its mouth and spoke.

"I am Lord Voldemort…. Who dares to defy me?" he asked in Harry's voice.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Harry swore forgetting all of the times that Albus and all of the other teachers had reprimanded him for doing so.

"Get out of my body you bastard!" he said before entering his body behind Helena.

Harry tried to describe the sensations he felt, but never quite managed it. It felt as if his body was being pulled in two directions at once.

He pushed alongside Helena, trying to force the corrupt being out of his body. It took several minutes, but finally the lightning bolt scar on his forehead burst open and screamed as a black tar-like substance sprayed across the room.

"I think its dead." Helena said while slowly exiting his body.

'Stupid Harry… What was he thinking?' came a voice in Harry's head.

"Hey… I just wanted you to be able to have some fun is all." He said defensively.

"Harry… I didn't say that out loud." Helena said her voice shaking slightly.

"What the hell is going on?" Harry asked.

"I think we need to talk to Albus about this." Helena said before the two friends dashed out of the room and down the hall to the headmaster's office.

The stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the headmaster's office was used to Harry now, so before he had to ask it stepped aside.

Helena, who was very concerned about her friend floated through the ceiling and up to Albus's office. Harry arrived several moments later by way of the staircase to hear the two in deep conversation.

Helena explained what had happened, with Harry throwing in the odd comment.

"Albus, one of the strangest things about this is that we can hear each other's thoughts," Helena said before Albus sat back in shock.

"Lady Ravenclaw," Albus began. He always referred to Helena by her honorific, even though she was no longer alive.

"This is strictly impossible, as the only situations in which this has happened are things called Soul Bonds, a very rare form of magic which hasn't been seen since… since… Your parents, my lady."

Helena ran a hand through her cascade of black hair before answering.

"I… I see. It's been so long that I had forgotten, but it was something that my parents were blessed with."

"But how is this possible Hel?" Harry asked.

"I mean no offence… but you're not exactly alive at the moment."

"I know," Helena responded, adopting a thoughtful expression.

Albus cleared his throat suddenly.

"I have given thought to the other rather strange incident, and it appears that when Tom Riddle killed your parents, he accidentally chained a piece of his own soul to your body. It's a very crude form of immortality." Albus explained.

"One good thing that has come out of all of this is that it is gone, and I have a feeling that your magic may be quite a bit stronger now without the dark magic leeching off it." Albus said, and for the first time during the conversation he smiled.

"I'm still not sure about this thing that appears to be a soul bond, but we shall see what happens." Albus said.

"I know that the two of you are quite… close, which may have had something to do with it. To be brutally honest, I have no idea… but at least it's a start." He finished.

"A… Alright," Harry said shakily.

"Thanks Albus… At least we've both got you to turn to if we need anything."

"Harry, always remember that anything you need no matter how small that I am here." He said with a warm smile.

That was when Fawkes let out a soft trill.

/The school's hatchling need be more careful must he. / Harry heard.

"What?" Harry said in absolute shock as his mouth dropped open.

Helena let out a giggle.

"Before Harry regains the ability to speak, I'll tell you what he's thinking… Somehow, he just heard Fawkes communicating." She said.

"Oh god… what the hell is this?" Harry said almost to himself.

"I can hear animals now… what's going to be next, I wonder?"

"Albus, I'm going to try something… I hope you don't mind," Harry said before turning to Fawkes.

/Can you understand me?/ he asked.

To Harry, it sounded as though he was speaking English. To Helena and Albus however it sounded as if Harry was attempting to mimic the song that made the phoenix one of the most interesting magical creatures.

/Of course, and I'm relieved that I can talk to someone else./ the bird responded.

/Albus is great, and I've been bonded to him as his familiar for almost a century, but still./ the bird finished.

Albus looked slightly offended.

"Albus, can I assume that you can hear the other side of this conversation?" Harry asked.

"Yes Harry, I can."

"Hel, can you hear anything?" Harry asked.

"Not really… The only thing that I can hear is my stupid friend trying to sound like a firebird." She said. The second part of her statement was punctuated by a smile.

"Very… interesting," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Do you think this could have something to do with destroying that soul fragment?" Helena asked.

"Very possibly." Albus said.

The rest of that afternoon was spent talking. Helena pitched some theories, she had after all been around for almost ten centuries, and had seen many things during that time.

They however made very little headway in figuring out what else Harry's strange ability might give him. Albus eventually advised Harry to let him know if anything changed, and Harry and Helena left his office.

Harry headed back to his private quarters on the seventh floor, and fell into an exhausted sleep.

Several months later, Harry's Hogwarts letter arrived. It was slightly pointless, but the automated system that delivered the Hogwarts letters was very hard to alter.

When Harry laid His eyes on the letter, the name was not the one that he had expected.

"What the hell is this?" Harry asked himself.

A/N:

Alright I've been out of writing for a while, but this idea struck me and needed to be written.

The pairing at the moment is going to be Harry/Helena, with some interesting twists.

This isn't a pairing that I have seen before, but I think if done right it can work.

As stated above, this is a slight crossover with the Dead Eye series by Jim Bernheimer.

He is an amazing author, and if you haven't checked his works out I highly recommend them.

For clarification, knowledge of this series is not required as the main thing that I'm taking is the culture of skinwalkers as he writes them.

Also, I'm thinking of adding Tonks to this pairing, as she is my favorite character in HP, and it would be interesting to see in the context of what I have in mind for this story.

Enough rambling, just let me know what you think in a review.

Also, positive feedback is appreciated.

R


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Dead Eye series. Both belong to their respective creators.

Chapter 2

"What the hell?" Harry thought to himself as he stared numbly down at the un-opened parchment envelope in front of him.

Harry thought to Helena using the strange ability the two had been practicing over the last few months:

'Hel, could you please come up here to make sure that I'm not going crazy? There's something… not right here.'

'Certainly Harry… I'll be right there.' She thought back.

About thirty seconds later, Helena popped out of the floor of Harry's quarters.

"What's the matter?" she asked as she studied the shocked expression on his face.

He didn't answer, just held up the envelope.

"We're so screwed," Helena said quietly, echoing the thoughts that were going through Harry's mind.

For written on the envelope in bright green ink was the strangest name that either of them had ever seen.

It wasn't addressed to Harry Potter; instead it was addressed to Harry Potter Ravenclaw.

"How is this possible?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, but I think it's time that I showed you something… something that has been kept a secret for almost a millennia." Helena said.

"Don't worry about Albus; this is something that he can never know." She said before looking Harry in the face, her gray eyes boring into his green ones.

"Harry, you are the closest person to me, and I must ask you to never reveal what you will now see to anyone. Do you understand?"

Harry, not understanding what could be so important, simply nodded.

"Hel, you are my best friend, and anything you ask I will do." Harry said and in that moment something changed between them.

They were no longer very close friends, but something more.

"Very well, take my hand." Helena said before her ghostly fingers closed around Harrys.

"You will have to leave your body here, but I promise it will be quite safe." She said before pulling.

Harry felt his spirit separate from his body and then he was clutching the strong hand of Helena Ravenclaw.

He looked down, and saw his body slumped over the desk that he had been sitting at. He was slightly relieved to note that it was still breathing.

"Come on," Helena said before we slid through the floor.

They continued down, until they entered a very strange room.

Harry thought that they must be underneath the castle somewhere, but he wasn't sure. The thing that surprised him the most was the four portraits on the walls. He instantly recognized them as the four founders of Hogwarts.

"What?" Harry asked in shock.

He almost let out a scream as the portrait of a woman who looked remarkably similar to Helena opened her eyes.

"Hello my dear… It has been a very long time," she said while gazing at Helena.

"Hello mother." Helena said back.

"And Harry, although you don't know me yet do you." The woman who must be Rowena Ravenclaw said while waving at harry.

"Wake up you three!" she screamed and the other portraits opened their eyes.

One of the men who Harry guessed was Salazar Slytherin spoke up.

"Although it is great to see both of you again, we don't have much time." He said before going into a blisteringly fast rant about soul bonds, time travel and multi Animagi.

"Okay… Slow down." Harry said.

"How is it that you all seem to know me, even though I have never seen any of you before?" He continued.

"The answer is a simple thing." Salazar said.

"You traveled or should that be will travel? Back. It is vital so that you may defeat the evils of this world." He said before taking a shaky breath.

"Tom Riddle is still alive, and he is not the only thing that the two of you will have to face. None of us truly know, but there are things far worse than the so called dark lord." He finished.

"But I don't understand… why is this time travel so vital?" Harry asked.

"Because," Salazar said.

"You two are two of the last of a very rare breed—the total shapeshifters, also called multi Animagi. I am also one, and only the four of us are capable of teaching you what you need to know to control the beast within." He finished.

"But there is a device that will allow us to explain all." The man said before pointing to a stone in the middle of the floor.

""Just drop through it."

Helena didn't hesitate. She grabbed Harry's hand and pulled the two of them through.

When they emerged, they were in the same room although now there were four people sitting at a table in the centre.

"Welcome to the newly opened Hogwarts School of Sorcery." Rowena said while smiling broadly, at which Harry fainted.

When Harry awoke, he found himself in a body… somehow. It wasn't his, although looking down at it appeared to be a body that hadn't had the finishing touches put on it, almost a blank slate. He dimly noticed that another blank slate was already changing shape, and taking on the form of his friend Helena.

The next few hours were spent with Harry attempting to re-shape his new body at will. It was hard, but he eventually managed it.

The next month passed in a blur. The four founders were exceptional witches and wizards, and Harry found himself being taught at a grueling pace from the moment he awoke to the moment that he fell exhausted into a conjured bed.

He wasn't alone however. Helena also was being frantically taught at almost the same pace.

When Harry confronted Salazar about it, he simply smiled.

"We only have a limited amount of time, and we want to impart all of our knowledge to someone, as portraits can teach only so much." He said before resuming correcting Harry's position by whacking his practice blade.

Several months after that, when snow was thick upon the ground of the castle, the six were sitting by a roaring fire when Helga, who was one of the most kind women that Harry had ever met brought up the subject of the strange connection that Harry and Helena had.

"We know that you have sensed something, but do you actually know what it is?" she asked.

"No, but I have a suspicion that it is a similar thing to what my mother and father have, that mysterious connection that is never spoken of?" Helena asked.

"In a way, although yours is far stronger and will continue to strengthen over time. You will also need to be close physically as the bond will begin to exert its pull upon you if you do not." She finished.

"As a word of warning the two of you have a unique situation as pothers may join this bond… It's something of a preservation thing for your race, as Harry is or rather was the last in his time, so magic has made choices for you that we cannot change." She said.

The rest of that evening passed in a blur as they continued to talk back and forth about the connection.

"I hate to do this, but it will make a large difference in the future," Helga said while turning to Helena.

"You are not the only bond mate of Harry's from this time, do you remember Lilith?" she asked.

"Of course I remember Lilith, don't insult me like that. She was my best friend, until I died." Helena said.

"Well, as soon as Harry sees her, the bond will activate," Helga explained kindly.

"Before you ask Helena, the reason yours did not activate is the fact that Harry and you were not on the same physical plane as it were, but otherwise it would have activated much sooner. We have two options: we can either wait and do this before the two of you leave, or we can introduce the three of you now… what do you two think?" she asked.

Harry and Helena carried on a hushed conversation for several minutes, before they both decided that it was best to just get this out of the way. Helena said that it would take a bit to sink in, but the 10th century was much more accepting of polygamous relationships.

"Very well, this was the decision that we hoped you would make, as I think she would make a good sparring partner for Harry." Helga said. Harry glanced over to see Salazar and the rest smiling.

The next day, Harry met Lilith Slytherin.

When he walked into the communal sitting room that Helena and himself had been given, he saw a tall girl who was around five foot seven with flaming red hair that fell far down past her waist.

"Hello Harry," the girl said.

Suddenly, Harry found himself surrounded by a nimbus of silver light, and then he found his mind being flooded with Lilith's thoughts and emotions. This must have triggered something with his bond with Helena, for suddenly he felt the bond that the two shared strengthen and grow even more solid.

He could even read her surface thoughts now.

"Well hello Lilith, that was certainly an introduction wasn't it?" Harry asked.

"It most certainly was." She said before hugging him.

Helena then came out of her room rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Hello again you." Lilith said before embracing her slightly taller friend.

The break didn't last for long however. Lilith was as skilled with a sword as anyone else, and she was able to consciously block her thoughts so that Harry couldn't cheat and see what she was doing next.

The next few years sat down in a blur, with Harry vowing to write it down one day.

The three learned, developed a strong friendship and something more.

By the end of it, the three considered themselves to be adults, with Harry estimating his age around seventeen, with Helena and Lilith being around the same.

During that time, they had mostly focused on weapons, as Salazar pointed out that magic was the reason that Harry was going to Hogwarts, as well as the fascinating abilities that the three now possessed thanks to their bond.

To Harry's shock, he found out that he could transform in to anything, including different people and any animal no matter how fantastic or unbelievable. Helena didn't feel as comfortable with this, although Lilith seemed to love it as much as Harry did.

The two of them were particularly fond of serpentine forms, and practiced in these often.

They also had a tendency to chat in Parseltongue, that mystical language that those creatures used.

Salazar was the only founder who was fluent, as it had always been a blood tray in his family.

Before long however, it was time for Helena and Harry to return to their own time.

After many shed tears and goodbyes, the two found themselves sucked rather painfully back through time, discarding their bodies in the process.

Lilith had stayed behind at the behest of Salazar.

When Harry smashed back into his body, he felt a searing pain in his chest. It felt as though he had run a marathon, and his heart was racing.

"That fucking hurts!" he moaned as his heart slowly went back to a normal rhythm.

'Let me out!' Lilith's voice rang through his head, and a thousand years of memories flooded his head.

She had been asked by Salazar to defend the school during their absence, which she had agreed to.

'Okay Lil, where are you exactly?' Harry asked.

She then sent him several images of a chamber buried underneath a second floor girl's lavatory.

Harry then raced to the lavatory in question, and hissed at the tap with the engraving of a serpent on it.

After the staircase down to the chamber opened, Harry descended a flight of stairs to find a very cozy living space with all the books that a person could want covering the shelves.

Besides the serpent statues, it was quite a nice place.

"Hello sweetie," a voice said and Harry looked to see the recognizable form of Lilith, looking as young as Harry did.

A portrait on the wall cleared its throat, and Harry looked to see a portrait of Salazar with a serpent coiled around his shoulders.

"Hello again Harry," he said with a smile.

"Hey Sal," Harry said.

"Where are the others?" Harry asked.

"They'll be along shortly." Salazar said.

Several minutes later, the other three founders squeezed into the portrait frame which somehow accommodated all of them.

"We have a last gift for you Harry, you are like a son to all of us, and we want to give you something special." The quiet form of Godric Gryffindor spoke up.

They then spoke in unison. They announced Harry James Potter as the true heir of each of them, and a bright flash of magic accompanied each of their statements.

Harry felt his head inundated with memories, and he had to fight to not black out.

"T… Thank you so much," Harry said choking back tears.

"You are most welcome, but that's not all." Godric said.

"We also have an empty mortal shell for my daughter's ghost, but all I ask is that you take good care of her." He said while glaring at Harry.

"She is getting used to her new body now… But if you ever hurt her, dead or not I will kill you." The man said and Harry knew that somehow he would make it happen.

"Oh shut up Godric," Rowena said.

"You know what kind of person Harry is."

Godric let out a sigh before smiling.

"My promise still stands." He said to Harry.

"I second that Potter, take good care of my daughter Lilith." Salazar said.

The next moment Harry felt a flare of magic as he felt the castle become a part of him.

That was when Helena piped up through their mental link.

'This body is fantastic… I'm alive again!'

'Great news love, did you get all of the conversation?' Harry asked.

'Yes, and ignore my father… he's just messing with you.' Helena said in his mind.

Harry didn't respond to that, just nodded thoughtfully.

"The question now is what we're supposed to tell Albus?" Harry asked.

"Tell him as much or little as you feel relevant," Rowena said.

"Above all, we are here to assist you, and will continue to help you three." She finished.

"But now, you should probably go and talk to Albus." Godric suggested.

"One last thing," Salazar said.

"This chamber along with everything else of ours belongs to you, and we expect to see you down here regularly." He said as he let a smile pass his normally impenetrable mask.

"Yes sir," Harry said before saluting. He then spun on his heal and veritably ran up the staircase.

/Open, / Lilith hissed angrily at the entrance to the chamber.

They were met by a perfect eleven-year-old version of Helena who grinned.

"Pretty good huh?" she asked while looping her arm through Harry's as Lilith did the same on the other side.

"That's fantastic… how'd they manage it I wonder?" harry asked.

"You are stupid sometimes, aren't you?" Helena asked with a smile.

"What do you think you were using for the last few years? They're just spelled soul containers, although they've been forgotten about in this time." She said, to which Harry just nodded stupidly.

"Ready to have some fun with Albus?" Helena asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

The other two just groaned. They knew from long experience that Helena had a mischievous streak a mile long, and trying to stop it was next to impossible.

When they reached the entrance to Albus's office, the gargoyle just nodded at Harry as it was used to him by now.

They walked up the staircase, and Harry knocked on the door.

"Come in." Albus said.

When the three entered, Albus's eyes widened comically.

"Harry, Lady Ravenclaw… How is this possible that you now have what I can tell is a physical body… and MS…" Albus trailed off as he tried to identify Lilith and failed.

"Your face…" Harry said before breaking down in laughter.

"That is a long story, but we shall do our best to explain it to you. But first, may I introduce Lilith, daughter of Salazar Slytherin." He said watching as Albus let out a shocked gasp.

The next hour was spent filling in what had happened, with the girls chipping in. At the end of it, Albus was just slumped in his chair.

"Last thing," Harry said.

"I know that this may be hard to believe, but so there is no doubt allow me to demonstrate. It takes a good deal of energy, but this is a good reason to do it." He finished before he began to change.

He let out a shocked gasp as the pain of his body re-shaping itself took hold, but he fought on through the pain. About thirty seconds later, a snake was coiled on the floor in front of Albus's desk, at which Fawkes who had been on his perch the entire time let out a shocked sound.

Harry then hissed at Lilith before she translated.

"Harry has a message for you Albus," she said while supressing a chuckle.

"Watch this." She said before Harry changed into a stag, and then back into his eleven-year-old form.

He then slumped with apparent exhaustion, before needing to sit down in a chair that was conjured by Albus.

"Let me get this straight one last time: all three of you have this… ability?" Albus asked.

"Yes, although Hel isn't as big of a fan of showing it off as we are." Lilith said.

"Now, because Harry isn't going to say it I will… The transformations take a lot out of you, and he's had a long last few years… Could we take him back to his quarters?" she asked.

"O… Of course," Albus said with a smile.

"And harry, rest assured that I will be training you personally in magic as soon as you get your wand in the next few days." Albus finished before standing up.

"Thank you Albus," Harry said before struggling to his feet.

Helena and Lilith pretty much had to carry Harry back to his quarters, and he fell exhausted on his bed.

Harry thought that the last few years had been crazy. But he was certainly looking forward to Hogwarts. He had Helena and Lilith, and he knew that whatever would come that they would face it together.

A/N: What do you think. Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a review.

A question on pairing: I'm going to keep this group of bond mates small, I.E. 2 to 3 more people at the most, any suggestions?

It will probably most likely remain the core group for the next few years, although I'm thinking of adding Fleur and Tonks to this.

Also, for people who feel a bit cheated by my skipping over Harry's training by the founders, I'd actually like to re-visit that in its own story.

Anyone have any suggestions/comments; let me know in a review.


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